FRIDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2007
14:09 MECCA TIME, 11:09 GMT
No 'quick end' to Sadr bloc boycott
Salah al-Obaidi says the ceasefire announced by
al-Sadris in October is likely to continue
A spokesman for the Sadrists, a political bloc loyal
to the Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, has said its
members will not end their boycott of parliament any
time soon.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Salah
al-Obaidi said that the six-month ceasefire declared
by Muqtada al-Sadr in October is likely to continue
for another six months.
Speaking to Al Jazeera's corresondent Hoda Abdel
Hamid, al-Obaidi said "we do not have a decision to
return to the government so we do not have any kind of
conditions to do that".
In September, 30 members of the Sadrist party
relinquished their seats in parliament when Nuri
al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, refused to set down
a timetable for US troop withdrawal.
Al-Sadr's bloc was key in bringing al-Maliki into
power especially in their then common agenda to
release Iraq "out of the hands of occupation" but
their support quickly waned for the leader they now
see as pro-US.
Not helpful
Al-Obaidi said: "When we discerned that al-Maliki is
depending upon American support in his work within the
Iraqi scene, we decided that working and helping such
a government is not helpful for the Iraqis."
Al-Sadr, who is also the leader of the Mahdi Army
militia, announced a six-month truce in October in an
attempt top stop rising sectarian and inter-Shia
violence.
When asked about the current status of the truce,
al-Obaidi said: "The ceasefire is continuing and maybe
it will go to another period after six months.
"But it all depends on the actions and reactions of
the [Iraqi] government, the local governorates and the
American troops against us."
Parliament suspended
Al-Obaidi's comments came as Iraqi legislators
suspended parliamentary sessions until the end of the
month because of the Muslim religious season.
Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, a Sunni parliamentary speaker,
announced on Thursday the decision to suspend sessions
after days of debate over a draft bill that would
allow thousands of former members of Saddam Hussein's
Baath Party to return to their government jobs.
The measure is among the 18 benchmarks set by the US
to encourage reconciliation.
Al-Mashhadani said the legislative body would not hold
another session until the end of December because many
politicians would be travelling to Mecca, Saudi
Arabia, for the annual Islamic pilgrimage.
Source: Al Jazeera and Agencies
---------------
Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo
Allah yang disembah orang Islam tipikal dan yang digambarkan oleh al-Mushaf itu
dungu, buas, kejam, keji, ganas, zalim lagi biadab hanyalah Allah fiktif.
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